2021 PRESIDENT'S LETTER
Greetings Fellow Club Member,
“Don’t it always seen to go that you don’t know what you got ‘til it’s gone” sung by Joni Mitchell in the song “Big Yellow Taxi” invaded my brain often last year as the pandemic prevented the Club from getting together and enjoying our traditional event line up.
This year, there was a new sense of appreciation as we got back what was gone and once again were able to enjoy our two surf contests, three volleyball ball tournaments, and the Aloha Family Fun Day.
The desire for enjoying one another’s aloha at these missed events was punctuated with our largest number of entries ever at the end of summer Club surf contest. Interest in the contest was also aided by an overhyped, ballyhooed surf forecast that manifested with blown out meager surf. The joy of being together and having the event more than surpassed the quality of the waves. Competitors surfed all the way until dark on the first day of the contest to be able to fit all the entries into the schedule.
The largest concern of 2021 that was on our minds this year was the expiration of the 50-year lease between the State of California and the Department of the Navy. San Onofre Surfing Beach is located within the 2,000 acres of property for public recreation, beaches, and campgrounds that the State has leased since 1971. Rumors swirled for years that this could be the end of the era for public access and that full control of the beach would revert to the Department of the Navy and become part of Camp Pendleton.
The San Onofre Parks Foundation played an integral part in keeping the two parties engaged and informing the public of the progress, as well as garnering support from the community to encourage the State and Department of the Navy to keep things on track.
Happily, a three-year extension of the lease was formally announced earlier this year while the Department of the Navy gathers additional information, such as land surveys, so that a new 50-year lease can be agreed to.
The San Onofre Surfing Club Board of Directors voted to make a $500 donation to The San Onofre Parks Foundation to support them in their efforts to aid in the long-term lease process as well as the other great work that they do to support the State Parks. The money was raised from the raffle at the Aloha Family Fun Day.
I would encourage everyone to visit www.sanoparks.org and donate to them online and learn more about this organization. Their mission of protecting and preserving the State Parks aligns well with the Club’s objective which is “…to make responsible recommendations to the Department of Parks and Recreation pertaining to the operation and development of the San Onofre Surfing Beach, and to seek to retain the beach in its natural state.”
We experienced great waves this summer and the time in line was cut drastically from last year during the height of the pandemic. With other recreational and entertainment options available, after lockdowns ending, the number of visitors to beach has subsided.
A positive impact of our added visitors also brought some great new families becoming active in the Club and I am pleased with the fresh energy and stoke that they bring along with them. Welcome!
Over the summer, one of our members, Jude Perry, built and donated a redwood table which replaced an old one on its last legs. The new table was an Eagle Scout project and sits next to the Oldmans lifeguard tower. We are grateful for members like Jude who wanted to do something that would benefit the Surf community he grew up in and considers SanO as his second home.
One last update is that our beloved Club Secretary, Sarah Chen, is turning the reins over to Ann Marie Moneymaker. Sarah has done a phenomenal job in the role, and we are all so grateful for her tireless work and dedication to the Club. The secretary position requires strong organizational skills and a deep affection for the beach and the Club which is why Ann Marie will be the perfect person to take over the Secretary duties!
Members, please continue to do your part in keeping the beach clean and exhibiting the Aloha Spirit to others in and out of the water.
I hope that 2022 will be filled with good times and even better surf.
See you at the beach!
Sincerely,
Jim Wynne
President
San Onofre Surfing Club